Bio
Sydney Black is an alternative process photographer, website designer, and digital media marketing director. In 2012, she attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City with a concentration in Photography; continuing on to receive her BFA from the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford in 2015.
In 2017, she began a residency within the Five Points Gallery Launchpad program located in downtown Torrington. This led to management of the community pop-up gallery, the Five Points Annex, where she volunteered her time as a Public Relations liaison, and eventually going on to develop and design the new Five Points Arts website. Through her involvement with the gallery, she brought her skills and expertise to work at Eckert Fine Art as Gallery Manager for two years.
In addition to her affiliations with Eckert Fine Art and Five Points Gallery, she has long been embroiled in the world of digital media marketing. For over three years, she worked as a Brand Manager and Digital Media Specialist for renowned art supply distributor and manufacturer, Alvin & Co., Inc. as well as providing graphic design, commercial photography and videography, and website development and design on a freelance basis.
In 2019, she went on to work with the Hartford Business Improvement District and Hartford.com overseeing marketing, communications, and social media, where she remains currently as the Director of Marketing. Within her first year, she redesigned, developed, and implemented a robust website garnering over 30,000 users per month. In 2020, she brought her background in non-traditional creative marketing to the International Downtown Association’s Annual Conference as a panelist and in 2022 she participated in the Emerging Leaders Fellowship in New York City. In 2023, Morris went on to join the Hartford Art School Endowment Inc. (HASE, Inc.) as a young alumni corporator.
Morris’ experimental work has been described as “works that are windows into a liquid chaos that are both materially menacing and sublime”. This alternative process photography is created by manipulating dark room chemistry and development techniques onto light sensitive photographic paper. This cameraless approach to image making results in highly abstract surfaces that are color infused, fluid, topographical, and profoundly suggestive.
Solo Exhibitions
2022 Reclamation | Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT
2021 Nova | Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT
2020 This Will Only Hurt A Little, Hudson On Pratt, Hartford, CT
2020 Liquid Sky | The Niche Gallery, Middletown, CT
Selected Group Exhibitions
2019 Today, Tomorrow | Five Points Annex Gallery, Torrington, CT
2019 InSight | Five Points Annex Gallery, Torrington, CT
2019 And By Necessity | Melanie Carr Gallery, Essex, CT
2018 Theory | Five Points Annex Gallery, Torrington, CT
2018 Focus Under Forty | Rowayton Arts Center, Rowayton, CT
2018 New New | Five Points Annex Gallery, Torrington, CT
2014 Punctum | Silpe Gallery, West Hartford, CT
Speaking Engagements
2020 Conference Panelist | International Downtown Association Annual Conference
2020 Panel Moderator | Just Wait A Few Minutes… Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT
2020 Panel Moderator | Polytechnicolor Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT
Awards
Emerging Leader Fellow | International Downtown Association, 2022
Hartford Art School Associate Dean’s Scholarship, 2013
Silver Key, Video Production, Scholastic Art Awards, 2008
Curatorial Experience
2020 Blossom | Hudson On Pratt, Hartford, CT
2020 Calm Foolery | Hudson On Pratt, Hartford, CT
2020 This Will Only Hurt A Little | Hudson On Pratt, Hartford, CT
Publications
Berlin Explorer | Make It Blue Edition, July 2021
Initiatives
Young Alumni Corporator | Hartford Art School Endowment Inc., West Hartford, CT
Director of Marketing | ROSE Foundation of Haiti, Board of Directors, Wycoff, NJ
Five Points Launchpad Artist | Torrington, CT 2017-2020
Photography Teacher | Manchester Continuing Education, Manchester, CT 2017
Media Manager | ISSOS International at Yale University, New Haven, CT 2016
Underground Art School Magazine | 2008-2011